Your Right to Know

Drastic changes in temperatures are largely to blame for a significant increase in water-main
leaks that have overwhelmed crews across the city.

Officials in the Department of Public Utilities said the city had identified 67 leaks as of
yesterday, up from 46 late last week. George Zonders, a utilities department spokesman, said there
are usually 20 to 30 leaks on a normal day.

The leaks take about two weeks to fix, create problems on city streets and can lead to higher
water bills for residents.

“Though it takes a lot of lost water to actually move that needle” on water rates, Zonders
said.

The number of leaks is more than the city’s six crews can handle, so outside contractors have
been called in to help with repairs. The city has maintained contracts with outside firms to handle
leaks for years, Zonders said.

Last year, during an unusually mild winter, contractors were called for a month in late
January at a cost of $68,000. This winter, contractors have been working with the city since late
November at a cost so far of $192,000.

“Overall, this winter has been rougher than last,” Zonders said. “While it’s impossible to
directly attribute each individual leak to the weather, there is no question they spike during
freeze/thaw periods, as evidenced by the increase above to 67.”

Temperatures hovered in the teens for much of last week before rising significantly yesterday
to a record-high 67 degrees.

Greg Davies, director of utilities, has said the city is spending millions to replace
waterlines to cut down on leaks and maintenance costs.

Davies’ department is responsible for about 3,600 miles of waterlines in the city and
surrounding suburbs. Columbus plans to invest about $150 million over the next five years to rehab
or replace miles of those waterlines.

In the meantime, residents should report any leak they see by calling the city’s help line at
311 or 614-645-3111, or the city’s 24-hour water-maintenance desk at 614-645-7788.